Sunday, October 12, 2014

'I Am Ali,' An Intimate Look At Legendary Champ

By Darlene Donloe

“I am the
greatest. I said that before I even knew I was.” ---Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is
one of the most beloved public figures of all time. His popularity transcends
age, race, gender, geography or political views. He’s loved the world over and
for good reason. He has a great personality, he’s funny, he’s a great athlete, he
stands by his convictions, he’s affable, fun-loving and, of course, he’ll tell
you in a minute that he is pretty.And, he’d be right.

For decades
we’ve gotten a glimpse inside of his world. We watched as he sparred in
training camps, conducted legendary interviews with Howard Cosell and fought
like no one before him and no one since.

In the
documentary, I Am Ali, currently in
theaters, the curtain is pulled back on the legendary heavyweight champ’s
personal life. Yes, there have
been plenty of docs and even 2001’s ‘Ali,’ a feature film starring Will Smith
in the title role, but none have been as eye-opening as I Am Ali.

Directed by
Clare Lewins, it’s a revealing portrait of the legendary boxer complete with
interviews from the people closest to him, including his son Muhammad Ali Jr.,
who reveals how difficult it is to live up to his namesake, his ex-wife
(Veronica Porsche), his daughters (Maryum and Hana) and the associates who
worked with him over the years. Porsche had to hold back tears as she talked
about her life with Ali and his current battle with Parkinson’s disease. We
also hear from his brother, Rahman, who remembers how Ali told him when they
were kids that he would become the most famous man in the world.

The documentary
is peppered with actual vintage audio recordings of Ali’s phone calls with his
children.The recordings are used
as interludes.They are sweet,
poignant and say much about who Ali is as a man. They paint the picture of a
man in love with his children.

The doc
highlights his boxing career. It includes special moments, including the
relationship he had with Joe Frazier and George Foreman who, based on his
glowing assessment of Ali as a fighter and a man, had nothing but respect for
the boxer.Former was half of the
famous ‘Rumble in the Jungle.”He
calls Ali, “the greatest man I ever met.”

Joe Frazier’s
son, Marvis Frazier says that his father and Ali made peace shortly before
Joe’s death.

If you were a
fan of Ali’s before seeing the documentary, you’ll probably be an even bigger
fan. If you are not a fan of Ali’s, you will be after watching this tremendous
documentary.

I Am Ali is written and directed by Clare Lewins,
produced by Lewins, George Chignell and Gred Hobden, executive produced by John
Battsek and Simon Chinn.